The Winds of Change
by Cloudy Luminosity
Summary: One thousand years ago the father of the Kirkland bloodline was given a prophecy that entailed him to leave the magic-filled world of Delia and start a new life on the ordinary planet Earth. In present day, his heir is about to fulfill the prophecy—whether he wants to or not. AU, human names used, nyotalia characters included.
1. Inheritance

Two young men stood at the foot of a hospital bed occupied by their father; the rhythmic beeps of the heart monitor resonating throughout the room.

The sick man smiled weakly at his sons. "I'm so glad that you two could make the trip from New York City back to London to see me one last time." His expression was replaced with a more serious one as he continued, wheezing, "Arthur… Scott."

The blond looked at him morbidly, "Yes, father?"

The older man coughed before continuing. "Do you remember the family prophecy?" he asked as he looked over his sons.

The oldest son crossed his arms and said nothing, leaving Arthur to respond "Of course, father. The family prophecy has been with us for almost one thousand years. It states that one day in the future the princess from the Germanic Kingdom in the Delia Realm will be sent to Earth. The prophecy then goes on to say that a member of the pure Kirkland line must find her and bring her home safely." Arthur paused before continuing in a more somber tone. "If the princess is not guided back to her Kingdom quickly, the destruction of not only Delia, but Earth, will be inevitable."

His father smiled proudly at his youngest. "You always did excel in your lessons." After a brief coughing fit, he continued, "My time has passed—thanks to this bloody disease—and it is time for me to pass on my responsibilities. Arthur, you will receive the inheritance of the prophecy."

The boys' eyes widened in shock. A frown took shape on Scott's face as he narrowed his eyes and bit his lip in attempt to keep his anger in check.

Arthur hesitantly began, "But, father… it's tradition that the inheritance goes to the eldest child."

"That is because the eldest is usually the strongest and most skilled; however," he paused, looking at Scott with disappointment clear in his eyes, "such is not the case with this generation." Looking back to Arthur, he continued, "You always attended your lessons, and you not only exceled in the history of our family, but in your magic as well. You will make a fine addition to the pure Kirkland lineage."

Arthur accepted his father's words with a nod.

The sick man held his arms in front of himself and began reciting a low chant and flowing his hands in the shape of a sphere. Within the space between his hands, a small, glittery, navy-blue sphere took shape and grew to fit the full space between his hands. The man stopped his chant and held his hands underneath the sphere as the light diminished, revealing a small book covered in the strange runes of the written Delian Magic. He pulled his one hand back before gesturing at Arthur; the book followed the motion and slowly floated into Arthur's arms.

His two sons were surprised again, their eyes wide as they grasped the situation. Arthur looked up at his father as he cradled the ancient text in his hands, he stuttered, "This is the Kirkland family spell book. All the spells that ever belonged to our family, including…"

"The interdimensional spell," Scott completed, breathless.

The sick man's eyes wandered from Scott to Arthur, "Yes. With this, you are the true inheritor of the Kirkland lineage. Make me proud."

The beeping of the heart monitor was slower now, and the older man smiled into the distance, "My time has come. I'll be with your mother soon… Be nice to each other and your cousins." He coughed, and whispered, "Make me proud, boys… Make me…"

The monitor resounded with a constant low-pitched tone.


	2. Princess

It was a beautiful sunny day in the capital of the Germanic Kingdom of Delia. A young girl sat on her uncle's shoulders as he walked through a wooded area. The child had pale skin, hazel eyes, and dark blonde hair.

"Uncle Gil, why am I wearing pants today?"

"They're easier to move in, and that'll help you train."

"Why am I starting training today?"

"Kesese, and I thought little Luddy had already told you. Well, today's your sixth birthday, and it's tradition that people with magic start their training when they turn six years old. Anyway, we're here!"

The girl looked in front of her in awe at the scenery. It was large area with sections of lush green grass, a few spots of grassless earth, and a sparkling pond with a small waterfall—all surrounded by a wall of trees.

"Alright, Sophie, from now on, this is where I'll be training you in our family's magic." He proclaimed as he lifted her off his shoulders and onto the ground.

"Uncle Gil, why are you teaching me and not Daddy?" Sophie asked, looking up curiously at her uncle's purple eyes.

"Kesesese, that's because my magic is stronger and more awesome than his!" he said proudly. "Alright, to start your training, I'll teach you a basic shielding technique."

Sophie tilted her head. "Why?"

Gilbert looked up thoughtfully. "Well, a lot of people don't like us, and will try to hurt you. So, you need to have strong shielding skills." His niece's expression morphed into one of horror as he continued. "Also, this technique is an awesome way to introduce you to the absolute basics of magic without putting you in any danger."

Gilbert looked back down at Sophie's horrified little face and squatted to her eye level as he petted her head and assured. "But don't worry, little one, if anyone ever comes after you, you'll only need to use your shielding until I get there, and then I'll kick their butts!"

Sophie giggled at her uncle's silliness, and gave him a hug.

He hugged you back, "I'll always be there to protect you, Sophie."

"Sophie? Sophie! Are you even listening?"

Sophie was brought out of her memory to see her friend Elizabeta sitting across from her.

The young woman addressed her friend. "Forgive me, I was distracted by a memory."

Elizabeta leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "Sophie, I've told you before that you don't have to be so formal with me. We're not even in public!"

Sophie let out a chuckle and smiled softly at her best friend, "You're right. Sorry, Liz."

Elizabeta picked up on her still somber mood and came to a realization. "Oh… today's the anniversary, isn't it?" she asked before clarifying, "The anniversary of King Gilbert's death."

Sophie sighed, "Yes, he died four years ago today; but, it's alright," she smiled fondly, "I was just thinking about my first magic lesson. I'm fine, really."

"If you say so." The brunette responded quietly before becoming her usual cheerful self. "So, Sophie, what was the last thing you paid attention to?"

Sophie looked up thoughtfully as she tried to recall the conversation. "Um… something about the court musician—the one who's a nobleman—and… uh… that's it."

"That's it? You don't even remember the details?!"

"Nope, sorry."

"Ugh, I'll just start over. So, I was walking in the music corridor earlier, and I heard a beautiful piano piece being played, and I couldn't help myself, so I followed the sound to the fourth room, and there he was." She sighed dreamily, "After he finished the piece, Roderich turned and we locked eyes and—"

"Excuse me, ladies." A man's voice interrupted her.

Sophie looked to see a knight of the castle—a handsome man only two years her senior—walk up to her and bow. She stood to greet him, "Antonio, what business brings you here?"

He looked up at the young woman with his trademark smile plastered on his face and addressed her. "Their Highnesses, King Ludwig and Queen Daisy, wish to speak with you, Princess Sophie, and they have asked me to escort you to the throne room."

Worry settled in at his announcement; Sophie's parents didn't normally summon her in such a formal manner, so the topic of this conversation must be serious. "Thank you, Antonio. We will leave right away."

With that, he stood and offered the princess his arm. Sophie politely bid goodbye to Elizabeta, and Antonio led her out of the room.

As they entered the corridor, he smiled brightly at the princess again. "You are looking very beautiful today, Princess Sophie. The color of your dress compliments your eyes perfectly, and the dress itself shows off your natural beauty."

She hesitated for a moment, caught off-guard by his compliment, before responding, "Thank you, Antonio."

The rest of the trip was silent, but Antonio kept glancing at her the entire way, his cheerful smile becoming a sadder—almost knowing—smile as they neared the throne room.

They stopped in front of a large pair of doors with intricate silver and gold patterns. Sophie let go of Antonio's arm as he approached where a handle would be on one door and placed his hand on a gold plate. The princess went to the other door and did the same. Sophie closed her eyes and took a deep breath as she focused her energy into her hand. A sparkling purple glow covered the princess' hand as she gathered her magic; Antonio's hand began glowing a ruby red as he did the same. Sophie's eyes shot open and sent a jolt through her arm, expelling the magic from her hand and into the door, her purple aura flowing throughout the metal plating of your door; Antonio's red aura did the very same to his door.

They both stepped away from the doors as their magic unlocked and opened them, revealing the throne room, and Sophie's parents at the other end.

Antonio walked her to the thrones and stopped, bowing to the King and Queen.

The queen smiled at the both of them and waved. "Ve~, hi Sophie and Antonio~."

Sophie's father addressed the situation more seriously. "Sir Antonio, thank you for escorting my daughter to us. We must speak with the princess alone, so clear the room and stand guard outside."

"Yes, your highness." Antonio quickly cleared the room and closed the doors behind him, but not before shooting one last tender glance at the princess.


	3. This Land

Sophie stood silently in front of her parents for a few moments before her father stood and approached the princess. "Sophie, we need to talk to you." Ludwig nodded to Daisy, prompting her to begin. Sophie's mother stood from her throne and raised her arms outward, her yellow aura began to appear around her body and dissipate into the air, filling the room. The king placed his hand on his daughter's shoulder, turning her toward the doors as her mother's magic made its way through the walls, making them appear clear to the three of them. Sophie briefly saw Antonio leaning up against the door, trying to listen, before her mother increased the outflow of her magic, expanding the reach of their view. They saw Elizabeta in the music corridor, then the cooks in the kitchen, and finally, the view of the kingdom from the top of the castle's hill.

"It's so breathtaking, isn't it?" Ludwig began as the royal family gazed upon their kingdom.

Indeed, it was.

Vibrant, green grass covered the meadows of the Germanic Kingdom. A crystal clear river flowed for as far as the eye can see. Small villages peppered the land, along with colorful farmlands and powerful windmills. Horses and carriages that appeared no larger than ants were spread out across the many roads and pathways built to connect the villages. The sun was setting in the distance draping the kingdom in a sleepy twilight as the last of the citizens were finishing up the day's work and returning to their families.

Sophie smiled and calmly replied, "Yes, it is."

"One day, this will all be yours. The people of our kingdom will look to you for guidance and protection. You will be their beacon of light in the darkest of hours." He paused. "As the royal family, we must be willing to make sacrifices for the good of our people." Ludwig closed his eyes. "My brother didn't learn this until it was too late."

The king paused as he gathered the right words. "Did your uncle ever tell you about his arranged engagement?"

This news took the princess by surprise. "No, I never knew about that."

Ludwig took a deep breath as the view of the kingdom changed into that of a young Gilbert and his father—Sophie's grandfather—as they argued, though the princess was unable to hear what was being said.

Ludwig continued. "When he reached the marrying age of eighteen, the Emperor of the Dragon Tamers in the Far East sent a proposal to marry his daughter and Gilbert to ease the rising tensions between the kingdoms."

The vision of Gilbert ripped up the scroll his father had just handed him and stormed out of the room.

"Gilbert refused, unaware of the dire consequences his actions would hold one day."

The scene switched to an older—more familiar—Gilbert teaching Sophie's eight year-old self how to project her aura into the form of a solid object.

"Nearly twenty years had passed, and the tensions between the Germanic Kingdom and the Dragon Tamers had not improved."

The scene was interrupted by the vision of a knight racing toward you in a panic, as he spoke Gilbert's face twisted in rage, and Sophie's in fear.

"That day, they attacked the outer reaches of the Kingdom—your uncle's would-be-wife, leading the attack as Empress."

Flames engulfed your vision as images of burned villages flashed by, followed by a young, wounded Antonio being rescued by the former head knight of the castle.

"Small kingdoms that separated the Germanic Kingdom and the Dragon Tamers—like Aragon—were caught up in the struggle and thrown into ruin."

The flames died down, and were replaced with the scenes of King Gilbert's funeral and Ludwig's quick coronation.

"My brother was killed by the Empress in the war, but the Dragon Tamers kept advancing, so there was no time for mourning."

The morbid scene was replaced with your father and the new Emperor of the Dragon Tamers disarming and showing the Delian symbol of peace.

"It took another year for the Empress to be killed, and her death ended the mind control spell she had cast upon her people. With a new Emperor chosen, we ended the six year war between the kingdoms."

As Ludwig ended his narration, Daisy's magic receded, showing the throne room again. Sophie looked at her father as she waited for him to finish. "Do you know why I am telling you this?"

"I apologize, father, but I don't understand."

Ludwig sighed, "Sophie, do you recall the state of tension between the Baltic Kingdom and our own?"

Realization began to dawn on her, "I… yes, father."

"I have been trying to ease the tensions between our kingdoms since the war with the Dragon Tamers ended, but all of my attempts have proven futile." He looked into the distance, "Ever since the prince reached marrying age last year, the Baltic King has hinted toward the idea of a marriage to ease the tensions between our kingdoms. Everything I have tried has failed in vain. I hoped that we would not have to take this option, but it was the only one left. " Ludwig sighed again and continued softly, "News of your eighteenth birthday last month reached the Baltic King, and he sent a proposal to marry you to his son, Prince Nikolai."

Sophie felt her heart stop and her gut wrench. Her whole world crashed down around her in that moment. An arranged marriage to someone she had never met before, who she only knew by name. In that moment, Sophie wished so badly that she wasn't royalty. Her heart ached to follow in her uncle's footsteps and refuse, but she knew that her father was right. Sophie was the princess of the Germanic Kingdom, and it is the duty of the royal family to do what is right for their people—even if it means making sacrifices.


	4. Innate Magic

"Uncle Gil?"

"Yes, Sophie?"

"I was talking to Liz the other day and she said that you have something called innate magic. What is that?"

Gilbert looked up thoughtfully. "Well, I wasn't going to teach you about that for a few years, since you can't access it until you're at least fourteen, but I guess I'll tell you anyway." He sat down on a log in the training area and motioned to his niece to come too. "C'mere and let's get started."

Sophie hurried next to her uncle and listened as he began speaking. "The magic I'm teaching you now is a normal kind of magic that all magic users are capable of; it includes things like shielding, moving objects, and forming aura. Innate magic is something that comes to magic users when they are between fourteen and sixteen. It comes in different forms for each person, so you have to figure yours out on your own, but the ruling families typically have the most natural forms of innate magic."

"Natural forms?" She asked, tilting her head.

"Yeah, natural forms, as in, the magic is related to nature in some way. For example, I can summon, control, and communicate with my birds."

Sophie looked at her uncle with starry eyes. "Wow, that's so cool!"

Gilbert smirked before putting his hand near his mouth and whispering, "Want to see my newest minion, Sophie? You can even name him for me."

Sophie jumped up from her seat in excitement. "Can I really?!"

"Yup, you just have to be really careful when you hold him. He's still a baby and he's a rare bird."

"Okay!"

Gilbert held his hands out in the shape of a cup and began a quick low chant. His hands glowed the dark purple color of his aura as a small yellow chick appeared in his hands. Gilbert carefully held it in front of his niece as she watched in awe. Sophie hesitantly reached her hand over to the little bird and stroked its back before cupping her hands, allowing her uncle to place the small chick in them. Sophie stared at the little bird in wonder for a few minutes before thinking of a name.

"Gilbird."

Gilbert hesitated a beat before asking, "What?"

Sophie looked up at her uncle with a beaming smile. "I want to name him Gilbird. It has "Gil" in it, like Uncle Gil, and "bird" in it because he's a bird."

"Kesese. You know what, kiddo? I think that's a perfect name."

As the memory faded Sophie found herself back in her room in the middle of changing into her training gear, gazing into the distance with a mixture of nostalgia and frustration. The princess shook her head to bring her straying thoughts back to reality and finished tightening the straps to her arm protectors. She then left her room and began making her way down the castle corridors.

When she reached the final corridor that lead to an exit, Sophie walked into a partially-transparent, yellow wall. A frown settled on the princess' face as she turned her head grudgingly to the nearest open door.

"Ve~ Sophie, I'm glad I caught you!" Her mother called from inside the room. "I want you to take a look at my painting!"

The princess replaced her frown with a more neutral expression and walked into the room, stopping behind her mother. The large canvas was half covered in the image of a herd of unicorns near a moonlit lake.

"It looks really nice, mom."

"Thank you." Daisy looked over to her daughter. "Sophie, you know how we have been communicating with the Baltic King to decide on a date for the celebratory ball?"

The princess glanced away. "Yes."

"Well, the messenger phoenix returned today with the finalized date. It will be in exactly three weeks from now."

"Okay." Sophie's solemn gaze settled downwards as she thought about the arranged marriage again, negative thoughts filling her mind once again.

The queen pulled Sophie's thoughts back to reality as she began to speak again. "Just give it a try, Sophie. Your father's parents were in an arranged marriage, but they turned out to love each other very much. Besides, the way I see it, if you don't love him, just call the marriage off!" she exclaimed with a smile. "We could always figure out some other way to smooth things over. Just don't tell dad I said that."

They both laughed at her final sentiment, knowing how much Ludwig would disagree.

"I'll keep that in mind, mom." Sophie smiled before turning toward the door. "I'm going to go train some now."

As the princess exited the castle and headed toward the training grounds her smile slowly began to dissipate. As much as she wanted to believe in her mother's idealistic idea, Sophie knew that it would never work out. She had studied Delian history and politics her whole life, and she knew that, with the way things were now, calling off the marriage would only send tensions spiraling upward into war. Sophie just couldn't do that to her people.

The training grounds were empty when you arrived. As Sophie prepared to begin, she remembered a conversation she had with her friend a few years ago.

"Hey, Liz?"

"Yeah?"

"What's it like to use your innate magic? I mean, how do you use it?"

"For starters, you have to summon your magic like usual, and then, well, it's hard to explain, but I guess it has something to do with thinking about someone—well, for me it is. Anyway, I think it has to do with recreating the feelings you get when you think about them."

"Could you be a little more specific?"

"Sorry, Sophie, I just do it without thinking; I can't explain it any better than that."


	5. Passion

The sun was setting, leaving a dim light on the training grounds. Sophie had been at it for hours trying to think of anyone and everyone she could, but she still had no success; she still couldn't reach her innate magic.

Sophie cried out in frustration and sent a blast of her aura at a nearby tree, knocking it into an angled position. A gust of wind howled by and pulled the tree the rest of the way out of the ground. Sophie jumped to the side and threw her arms up, sending her aura to hold the tree in place just before it landed on the turtle in its path. The princess sighed in relief for being able to save the turtle, but the tree was so big that she had to use her maximum amount of aura to hold it, meaning that she would have to wait for the turtle to pass through on its own before she could set the tree down.

"Need some help, Princess?"

Sophie turned her head to see Antonio in his training gear as he jogged up to her. She smiled sheepishly, as she admitted, "Yes, help would be nice."

The young knight stopped before Sophie and mirrored her stance, holding his arms out to the tree. As Antonio's red aura began to swirl around the tree and the princess' purple aura, he asked, "Ready?"

"Ready."

"Okay!" He smiled at her. "On the count of three: one… two… three!"

The duo pulled their arms upward and to the side in unison, carefully pulling the tree into standing position.

"Sophie, can you hold the tree up for me? I'm going to shift the ground so that the tree is back where it originally was."

She nodded. "Okay."

Antonio's red aura slowly dissipated as he lowered his arms. He walked closer to the tree and took a different stance. Antonio held his arms out toward the roots with his palms together and closed his eyes as he took a deep breath. He opened his eyes and pulled his hands out and up; the dirt followed his motion, allowing the first root to sink back into its place. Antonio moved and repeated the parting motion several times over the next minute to return the other roots to their spots. With a final sweeping motion and a clench of his fists, the ground moved back on top of the roots and became a connected solid once more.

After Antonio finished his work, the princess released her aura from the tree. She looked at the ground around the tree in a mixture of awe and jealousy.

Sophie sighed before looking up and gloomily asking, "Antonio?"

The knight looked at her, concern clear on his face. "Yes, Princess?"

"How…" She paused, trying to find the right words. "How do you do it? How do you activate your innate magic?"

He shot her a sad smile. "Still having trouble, huh?"

Sophie looked to the side and nodded. "I should have been able to access it two years ago, but every time I try all I get is my usual magic."

"Well, this is probably going to take a while, so why don't we take a seat." Antonio suggested as he offered his hand.

Sophie took his offer and allowed Antonio led her to a log bench in front of the pond. The sunset reflected on the pond, and so did the images of the princess and the knight. Sophie remained silent as she waited for Antonio to begin.

"Sophie, what do you know about innate magic?"

"I only know what Liz told me, since my instructor was killed before he could teach me, but she said that she had to think about someone and the emotion she felt when thinking of them."

Antonio laughed lightly. "Well, she has the right idea. Innate magic is connected to our emotions, but only our strongest emotions. Whoever she was thinking of is either very lucky or very unlucky." He joked, inciting a raised eyebrow from the princess.

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, Elizabeta either really cares about this person or really hates them. Strong emotions can be both positive and negative." He clarified before getting back on topic. "Anyway, only our strongest emotions can bring out our innate magic." Antonio turned toward his companion. "Sophie, do you know what the strongest emotion is?"

Strongest emotion? Sophie had never really thought about it before. "No."

"It's passion."

"Passion?"

"Yes, and—as I had mentioned before—an emotion as strong as passion can come in both positive and negative forms; the positive forms of passion are emotions like love and compassion, and the negative forms are emotions like hatred and obsession. Innate magic fueled by positive passion is strong and easy to control once you get the hang of it." He frowned. "Innate magic fueled by negative passion is even stronger, but it is wild and impossible to fully control."

Following Antonio's explanation, they both sat there looking out at the pond in quiet serenity for several minutes as the sun made its final dip under the horizon, leaving the full moon to light up the night. The princess gazed up at the stars with a sad smile before daring to break the silence with a question.

"Antonio, what are you passionate about?"

Antonio was taken aback by Sophie's question and looked away uncomfortably. The young knight sighed and gazed toward the castle with a melancholy look in his eyes. After a few moments of silence, he softly answered, "Well, I'm passionate about protecting the people I care about." He turned back toward the pond.

The moonlight reflected off the water, illuminating their faces in the patterns of the flowing water. Sophie wasn't certain, but she thought that Antonio's eyes were moist as he spoke. "I don't remember much about my life before I was rescued during the war, but I do remember the pain I felt when I couldn't save my family, and I don't want to let that happen again; I can't let anyone else suffer like they did. I would do anything for—" Antonio cut himself off, leaving her to wonder what he was about to say.

As the princess watched him, Antonio turned his face toward her with an apologetic smile on his face. "Look at how the time flies; it's already after dark. We should probably get you back to the castle." He stood and helped Sophie up before they both began walking back to the castle.

When they were almost there, Sophie softly spoke up. "Thank you, Antonio, for everything."

Antonio smiled at her, the moonlight twinkling in his eyes. "You're welcome, Princess; and thank you. Even though I didn't get to train, I still had a wonderful time with you."

Sophie smiled softly as the she and Antonio entered the castle.


	6. Roommate

It had been about one month since the funeral, and Arthur was back in his dorm at New York University. After unpacking his things and setting up what he decided would be his side of the room, Arthur took out the family spell book and began perusing through the pages dedicated to the interdimensional spell as he mentally translated the ancient runes into English.

As he understood it, the spell required at least two people in order to be performed correctly—though there can be more. Then each person must gather an exact ratio and concentration of two types of magic—which Arthur assumed meant normal and innate magic—and pour it into an object that would serve as the key to opening the interdimensional portal.

While he was immersed in his reading, Arthur heard the door being unlocked so he quickly hid the book, knowing that this was probably his new roommate—_what was his name again? Oh, right, Francis Bonnefoy._

As the door opened and revealed a young man with a suitcase, Arthur's face fell into a scowl.

"What the Hell are _you_ doing here, frog?!" Arthur demanded.

The young man flipped his hair and replied in his French accent, "I live here. What are _you_ doing here?"

Arthur got flustered, "This is _my_ room!"

"That cannot possibly be true, because this is—in fact—_my_ room, and I will not be staying with a delinquent like you."

"That was one time!" Arthur barked back, "Go check the number again, because there is no way I'm rooming with you!"

Arthur's rival rolled his eyes and stepped outside to compare the number on the door with the slip of paper containing his dorm information before returning, "It is the right number."

Arthur marched over to him and snatched the sheet of paper, "You must have gotten the building wrong, then!"

Arthur skimmed the page only to have his eyes land on his own name listed as this man's roommate. He grumbled, "You must be Francis."

Francis huffed, "You should have known that already—we have been in the same graduating class for three years already."

"I could say the same to you!" Arthur retorted, "You were surprised to find me here too, so you didn't know my name either!"

"That doesn't matter!" Francis argued before turning back toward the hallway, "I'm going to talk to the RA to get your room changed."

"Ha! Good luck with that. He'll just change your room and we'll all be happy."

Arthur slammed the door behind Francis and locked it again. He took a deep sigh in frustration as he sunk onto his bed. After a minute, his cellphone rang.

He answered the phone, "Hello? This is Arthur. Who am I speaking with?"

An older woman's voice replied back, "Hi, Arthur, it's Aunt Cheryl."

A younger boy's voice jumped in from the background of the other end, "Dude, you need to take us to New York Comic Con this year!"

Cheryl quickly scolded her son, "Alfred F. Jones you are sixteen years old, act like it! You should know not to be so rude by now!"

Alfred could be heard apologizing in the background before Cheryl addressed Arthur again, "I'm sorry about that. I was going to say that I need to ask you a favor."

"What is it?" Arthur asked.

"I found out today that I have an important business trip in the city in a few weeks, but the boys are supposed to be in my custody that weekend because their father is on a business trip in Montreal. I don't trust Alfred in the house without an adult around, so they will be coming with me, but that Saturday could you please watch the boys for me—maybe take them to see the sights?"

Arthur thought about it for a moment before responding, "Why not ask Scott? He actually owns an apartment."

His aunt sighed, "I already called him a few times, but he didn't answer. Is he okay?"

"He's fine. I'll do it."

"Thanks so much, sweetie!"

After exchanging goodbyes, Arthur hung up his cellphone and became lost in thought—or he would have been if he didn't hear Francis ranting and raving to the RA about not being able to switch roommates.

"This is going to be a long semester," Arthur grumbled.


	7. The Meeting

It was mid-morning on the day that the Baltic royal family was set to arrive in the Germanic capital, and Princess Sophie was with the royal hairdresser preparing for their arrival.

"Fi, you are, like, going to look totally fabulous by the time I'm done with you," he bragged as he sat the princess down in front of a mirror and began brushing her hair. "This is, like, totally exciting," he added, "because I totally love your hair, and you, like, hardly let me play with it anymore."

Sophie chuckled at his comment. "Feliks, that's because I am capable of doing my hair on my own for everyday wear. I only need help for special occasions."

"Oh, yeah," he commented, though he was more focused on trying to hold different pieces of the princess' hair in place.

"Do you want me to hold some of my hair up for you with my aura?" She offered as she noticed him struggling.

"Like, no way. Just because I don't have magic doesn't mean I can't do your hair."

Sophie winced, having forgotten about that detail. "Sorry, I didn't mean to imply that."

Feliks perked up right away at her apology. "It's alright, Fi. So, like, remind me what the special occasion is."

The princess raised an eyebrow. "You forgot the news, Feliks? That's so unlike you."

"Was it, like, big news?" he asked as he started an intricate braid.

"Yes, the royal family of the Baltic Kingdom is arriving today."

"Oh my gosh, I totally forgot about that because I was, like, totally upset when I found out that you were getting married into that family," he huffed. "So, like, I decided not to remember it. The only things I have heard about them are, like, totally not good."

Sophie scrunched her brows in concern. "Not good? What do you mean?"

"Well, like, I used to live in the Baltic Kingdom until I was, like, six years old, and then my parents moved us out because they heard that the real Baltic King was overthrown by these total nutjobs," Feliks explained as he moved to another portion of the young woman's hair. "The old royal family had weaker innate magic because they were, like, healers, and the people who took over had, like, elemental innate magic, so it was, like, a totally easy takeover for them."

Sophie hesitated for a moment as skepticism filled her mind. "Feliks, that was twenty years ago, and didn't you say that you lived far away from the Baltic capital? I'm sure that your parents heard something wrong, because this is the first I have ever heard of this."

"No way, it's, like, totally true; and, I also heard that the kids who were supposed to be the princes ended up being, like, servants to the fake royal family."

Sophie still didn't fully believe Feliks, given his tendency to gossip, but she decided to let it go as he finished up her hair. After admiring his work, Feliks picked up the princess' tiara and carefully placed it on her head.

The two of them were silent for a minute as they both looked at Sophie's reflection in the mirror. Sophie couldn't believe how fast the time passed by, but today was the day that she would be meeting the man who she would be spending the rest of her life with. The corners of her mouth dipped down into a subtle frown without the princess noticing as she thought about the inevitable.

Just then, she heard someone walk into the room and call her name to get her attention. Sophie turned her head toward the newcomer and saw her mother's older brother standing in the room in formal wear with his arms crossed.

The blonde princess smiled at him and stood up to greet him. "Uncle Lovino, it's good to see you again."

"I wouldn't miss something this big in my niece's life," he replied before relaying, "The Baltic royal family are just outside of the capital right now, and I was sent to bring you to the castle gates, where we will be meeting them."

Sophie bid a short goodbye to Feliks, who responded, "See you at the ball, Fi!"

After following her uncle down the corridors and out to the gates, Sophie stood silently between her mother and father, and Lovino took his place on the opposite side of his sister. As Sophie stood there with the only living family members she had left, the princess remembered that she was marrying Prince Nikolai to save her people from the looming threat of another war that would bring them suffering. With this knowledge resettling in her mind, Sophie felt a wave of calm wash over her.

After a few minutes, she saw the Baltic royal carriage make its way up the hill to the open gates. The carriage stopped in front of Aophie's family, and the two young men driving it ran to the side and opened the door. Three ornately dressed people stepped out of the carriage: a tall middle-aged man with platinum-blond hair, a young man who seemed about Sophie's age, and a young woman who seemed a year or two younger.

King Ludwig faced the tall man and performed the Delian symbol of peace. "Welcome, King Ivan."

Ivan returned the symbol. "Thank you for inviting us, King Ludwig. Allow me to introduce my children." He turned and gestured to the young woman. "This is my daughter, Princess Natalia." He gestured to his son as he continued, "and this is my son, Prince Nikolai."

Nikolai's eyes bored into Sophie's with such intensity. The emotion surging through his eyes was familiar, yet foreign—perhaps similar to a look that she saw in someone else recently. The Germanic Princess was so lost in his violet eyes that she barely heard her father as he introduced Sophie and her family.


	8. The Ball

After showing the Baltic royal family around the castle and where they would be staying for the week, the two royal families had a festive lunch. Nikolai never left Sophie's side, though he hadn't spoken much either. Natalia, on the other hand, stood by her father with the servants as she glared daggers at her brother's fiancée the entire time. It wasn't long after lunch that the people of the kingdom began to arrive and gather in the ballroom.

The invitation was open to everyone in both kingdoms from the highest ranking noble to the regular citizens of the kingdoms. The ballroom itself held several hundred people comfortably as well as the tables on the sides of the room for the grand feast of cuisines from both cultures at the end of the ball. To one end of the room, there were two sets of thrones, one for each royal family under the crests of their kingdoms. The thrones connecting the two sets were Princess Sophie's and Prince Nikolai's.

Sophie sat in her throne with the rest of the royal families, confidently poised as she watched well-dressed nobles from both kingdoms arrive. Every now and then a few normal citizens from the Germanic Kingdom would show up, distinct from their noble counterparts because of their less gaudy clothing; however, no regular citizens of the Baltic Kingdom were present except for the Baltic King's servants.

Once the clock struck five, the room was filled with guests. King Ludwig stood to address the people. Sophie scanned the crowd as her father spoke of a broken bridge being mended between the two kingdoms. The blonde princess could tell which guests belonged to which kingdom because of the slight cultural differences between the appearances of clothing. As the guests began to back away and form an open circle on the ballroom floor, the princess' full attention was brought back to her father's words as he introduced Princess Sophie and Prince Nikolai as the newly engaged bridge between the kingdoms and invited the two of them out to begin the first dance.

Sophie and Nikolai stood in unison as the orchestra began playing. He took her hand and led you to the center of the circle. They both turned to face each other while still holding the other's hand. Sophie lightly placed her other hand on Nikolai's shoulder as he placed his hand on her waist. Nikolai took a step back and turned, beginning the dance as Sophie followed along. The King and Queen of the Germanic Kingdom soon joined in, waltzing in the circle with their daughter and her fiancé. The cascading effect led to most of the guests dancing with their partners.

Sophie and Nikolai danced for nearly an hour before the princess started to become thirsty. As Sophie glanced over to a refreshment table, she saw Elizabeta getting herself some water.

Smiling, Sophie turned her gaze back to Nikolai and suggested, "Would you mind if we took a break? I am becoming thirsty, and I wish to introduce you to someone."

He looked back in the direction that Sophie was looking in, scrutinizing what was over there, before nodding his head in agreement and stopping the dance. The two of them walked over to the table where Elizabeta was standing.

"Nikolai, this is my friend, Elizabeta." Sophie gestured toward her brunette friend as she smiled and waved at the pair. "Her family is the highest ranking noble family in the kingdom. Elizabeta, this is Prince Nikolai, my… fiancé," Sophie finished, after a moment of surprising hesitation.

Nikolai opened his mouth to speak, but stopped once a pair of arms latched onto his.

"Dance with me, brother," Princess Natalia commanded as she dragged him away, though not before glaring at Sophie for the millionth time today.

Sophie and Elizabeta were silent as they watched the scene before the princess' friend commented, "Well, that was strange."

"It is not uncommon for siblings to dance for the fun of it," Sophie reasoned as they both directed their attention to Sophie's mother as she held her brother's hands and swung him around while laughing, though the look on Lovino's face said that he desperately wanted to get out of the situation.

Elizabeta directed Sophie's attention back to Nikolai and Natalia as she explained, "I meant that I don't think she likes you."

Sophie and Elizabeta looked at the siblings as the prince kept looking at Sophie longingly as he tried to get out of his sister's grasp. When Natalia noticed his line of sight, she glared at Sophie and yanked her brother to turn away.

"I can see that," Sophie responded as she frowned and grabbed a glass of water. "Though I do not understand why."

Elizabeta paused for a moment as she and Sophi looked out at the crowd again. As Elizabeta spotted Roderich taking a break from playing his music, she smiled and addressed her best friend.

"I have so much to tell you later, but for now I'm going to go dance with Roderich."

Sophie bid goodbye as Elizabeta walked over to the musician. The princess calmly looked back at the guests before her thoughts were interrupted by the familiar voice of another friend, "Pst, Fi, I, like, totally need your help for something."

Sophie looked to the side to see Feliks hiding behind the table. She raised an eyebrow at his peculiar antics as she addressed him.

"Feliks? What do you need help with?"

"You see that, like, totally sexy guy over there?" he asked as he pointed to the other side of the room.

"Who?"

"The sexy guy," he repeated before trying to describe him. "Green coat, green eyes, honey-colored wavy hair that goes down to his shoulders."

Sophie scanned the area to see that Feliks was describing King Ivan's head servant, Toris. "What about him?"

"Like, what's his name?"

Sophie smiled. "Feliks, why don't you go ask him yourself? From what I've seen, he's a nice person."

As Feliks contemplated whether to follow the princess' advice or not, Sophie looked at the crowd again to see her mother switching partners to dance with Ludwig again. Then, the princess heard the voice of another familiar young man as he addressed her.

"Princess Sophie, you look truly breath-taking tonight."

The princess turned her head to see Antonio standing beside her in his dress uniform with his trademark smile plastered on his face again.

"Thank you, Sir Antonio."

His smile faltered at the formality, but as the orchestra began playing a new song he bowed lightly and offered his hand. "May I have the honor of dancing with you?"

Sophie hesitated for a moment, caught off guard by his offer. She contemplated what would be the right thing to do. Part of her wanted to dance with him—it was just a dance, right? No harm should come of it. Sophie's political senses came back, though, reminding her that this ball was celebrating her engagement; it would be wrong to dance with anyone but her fiancé.

Just as the princess began to reject his offer, Nikolai swooped in and grabbed her hand, pulling her away as he and Antonio shared the same look of animosity held toward the other. As Sophie danced with Nikolai, she could see jealousy in his eyes.

"Why were you going to dance with another man?" he asked with an accusatory undertone in his voice, his violet eyes intense with emotion again.

Sophie looked up at him and corrected, "I was not going to dance with him. You came over just when I was rejecting his offer. Besides, I'm sure that he meant nothing by it."

Nikolai glanced away angrily, but didn't argue any further. Sophie sighed lightly as she looked to the other side, wondering how in the world she was supposed to make this work. As they danced, Sophie let her gaze wander the guests before landing on her parents happily dancing. As the princess watched them, she wished that her relationship with Nikolai would end up like theirs, and then they collapsed.

Sophie stopped in her tracks, eyes wide as a masked man ran from the scene while being pursued by Antonio. Sophie rushed to her parents with Nikolai close behind her, but Lovino beat them there.

He checked his sister's pulse and shouted, "They're still alive! Is there a healer in here?!"

"I'm a healer!"

Sophie turned to see Toris running to her parents. He kneeled next to them and put his hands over them as they began to glow teal. After a minute, he announced, "They are still alive, but they are temporarily paralyzed. It will take a few days, but I can reverse it."

Lovino addressed Toris, "Come with me. I'll take you to where you can heal them."

With that, the two men used their aura to create a flat plank under each of your parents, lifted them up, and carried them out of the room.

King Ivan walked up to Princess Sophie. "We are sorry for your parents, Princess Sophie, but are you really surprised that such an atrocious event as an attempted assassination occurred? Your family invited everyone to the ball, even the peasants," he added with a hint of disgust. "Those people do not like the royal families, and many more dislike my kingdom. Those people would sabotage things to destroy it."

Sophie stood tall, despite your shock, and she projected her voice confidently as she addressed the Baltic King. "King Ivan, while I see your point, following that logic would say that a normal Germanic citizen would be more likely to attempt to assassinate a member of the Baltic royal family, and the same goes for the reverse." The Germanic Princess gestured to the people. "If you look at the guests, the only citizens of less than nobility present are citizens of the Germanic Kingdom. Due to the fact that the attempt was on my parents' lives and not yours, the invitation was not the problem."

King ivan put on a false smile before changing the subject. "For now, the Germanic Kingdom is without a leader. Given that I have the experience, I propose that I take temporary kingship of the Germanic Kingdom."

The room bustled with whispers of protest at the suggestion before Princess Sophie countered, "The people of the Germanic Kingdom will not take well to such a decision because our two kingdoms are not officially linked yet. The Germanic Kingdom will follow the written procedure for deciding on a temporary leadership in times like this. Lady Hedervary, please read the law."

Elizabeta quickly summoned a large book, flipped several chapters before stopping and reading, "In the event that both the King and the Queen of the Germanic Kingdom are temporarily unable to rule, the next in line for the throne—the eldest prince or princess—will take leadership of the kingdom."

Sophie held herself confidently as she looked out at the guests and announced, "The guards are to search each room of the castle for the perpetrator. For safety purposes, the guests are to all stay in this room until the perpetrator has been caught. The food had been brought out, so feel free to make yourselves comfortable and eat, but no one is to leave." Sophie paused for a moment as she looked at Nikolai before finishing, "Additionally, the wedding will be postponed until my parents have woken up again. We will decide on a date then."


	9. The King's Plan

Several hours had passed since the attempt on King Ludwig's and Queen Daisy's lives. Antonio and the other knights cornered the masked assassin only to have him teleport away in a flash of bright light. The guests had all gone home or made their way to the inn they were staying at. Many castle residents had returned to their rooms, including King Ivan. The Baltic King sat in his room, scowling as he thought about the day's earlier events.

_"That masked fool,"_ Ivan thought as he narrowed his eyes. _"He failed to complete the job and was caught in the act. King Ludwig and Queen Daisy will be too well-guarded for me to kill them myself."_

Ivan stood and began to pace the room. _"And that Princess Sophie is more headstrong than I expected. I need a change of plans to make this work."_

As he further contemplated the other players in the game an idea came to mind. Ivan smiled wickedly as he revised his plan before setting out. King Ivan walked out of his room and stalked down the empty hallway to his daughter's room. He rapped on the door with his knuckles and checked that the hallway was still empty before Natalia opened the door and let him in.

Ivan smiled and spoke, his voice drowning in sweetness. "Natalia, how are you liking it here?"

Natalia scowled, "I hate this rotten place! Why are you making brother marry that witch of a princess? He loves me not her! We should be getting married!"

Ivan smiled as he realized that this would almost be too easy. "I know, little one, but there is one problem. It's something I tried to protect you two from, but it is too late."

Natalia calmed down somewhat and asked, "What is it, father?"

"You see," he frowned as he spun his tale, "the Germanic's begged for Nikolai to marry their princess. They said that if they didn't have this marriage, they would destroy our kingdom. They put a spell on poor Nikolai that makes him believe that he loves the Germanic Princess."

Enraged, Natalia growled, "I'll kill them."

Ivan smiled at his daughter's reaction, but did not address it as he continued, "I came up with a plan to save us, but it was ruined by Princess Sophie taking over the Germanic Kingdom."

Natalia quietly commented, "You sent that assassin, then."

"Yes. If he had succeeded, I would have taken the throne and cancelled the marriage."

Natalia was still distressed. "But what about the spell that witch put on my brother?"

"Do you know what would solve both problems?"

"Kill her," she viciously replied.

King Ivan furrowed his eyebrows, no longer finding her reaction amusing as he harshly hissed, "No, if we do that, they will find her body and be suspicious us. The plan will fail."

"Then what option is there, father? I want my Nikolai back," she whined.

The corners of Ivan's lips turned upward into a smile worthy of a Cheshire Cat as he asked his daughter, "Did your teacher ever tell you that being cast outside of Delia has the same effects on spells as death?"

"Yes, but that is an ancient spell that no one knows anymore."

"Few people know it, but it is not completely lost." The Baltic King reached into his pocket, pulling out a smooth stone before holding it out for Natalia. "This is one of the stones that I have had prepared for years, just in case. It will send whoever it touches to a faraway land when a special incantation is said."

Natalia took the stone in her hands as her father continued. "Thanks to that failure of an assassin, we have confirmed the rumor that the weak spots of the Germanic royal family are the back of the neck and the elbows; the princess will have inherited one of those weaknesses. If you put pressure on both of those spots, the Germanic Princess will lose her magic, just as the Germanic King and Queen did."

Natalia spoke up, "I can't paralyze her like the assassin, though."

"Not to worry," Ivan assured her. "When you put pressure on those points, she will not be able to put up a fight. Use your aura to hold her down and make her hold the stone as you recite the incantation. She will be sent away, and you will have Nikolai's attention."

Natalia nodded, but asked, "Father, how will this get us revenge on the Germanics?"

"You'll see in due time, Natalia," Ivan said before taking out a small piece of paper, "This is the incantation you need for the job. Once Princess Sophie is alone, use her weak points, and you will be rid of her for good. You will have Nikolai to yourself."

Natalia smiled a toothy grin at his words, ready to be rid of her problem once and for all.


	10. Sleep

Sophie stood in front of a large map of her continent in the castle library with a frown on her face and her head buzzing from her stressful lack of sleep. Nikolai had fallen asleep in a chair near the wall behind the princess with an open book on his lap. Elizabeta's father stood next to the temporary leader of the Germanic Kingdom, a few reports in hand, as he informed Princess Sophie of the state of the Kingdom.

"The farmlands on the northwestern side of the Kingdom have been reporting signs of a coming freeze. They are requesting that we send people with innate fire magic to help keep the rest of the crops warm for long enough to harvest them."

The blonde looked to the northwestern portion of the map as she contemplated what to do. "It will take too long to send anyone there from the capital," Sophie stated before her eyes settled on the northernmost town of the Kingdom. "Send a messenger phoenix to the town of Aerus requesting aid of one person to each of the eight farms; if memory serves, a family with innate fire runs the town."

"Yes, princess," he responded, making a small note for himself before taking out another report. "We have also received reports from the town of Faroe, in the eastern-central region of the kingdom, that the bridge connecting the two halves of the town was destroyed in a recent flood. They have the work force, but they are requesting the aid of one of our architects to help redesign the bridge. Additionally, they will most likely be needing more wood for this project."

Sophie looked to the town on the map as she thought about which person to appoint the task to. "Send Sir Diggory; he has been begging my parents for a new project for the past several months. We will have to use wood from the reserves for the project, though. Send the request there."

Sir Héderváry chuckled lightly. "I am certain that he will appreciate the task, milady." He pulled out the last of the reports. "Lastly, Emperor Kiku expresses his personal sorrow for the events that occurred at the ball and he wishes to remind the Germanic Kingdom that the Dragon Tamers are our allies and will send any aid needed."

The princess sighed and looked down for a few moments before speaking. "Thank him for the offer, but politely remind him that his kingdom needs more help than ours in rebuilding and decline the offer. Wish him the best of luck."

"Yes, your highness." He bowed before turning to leave.

"Sir Héderváry." The princess called out to him.

"Yes, your highness?"

Sophie looked at him, worry clear in her eyes as she spoke. "Your family is next in line after my family. Pease, be careful and tell Liz the same."

He smiled sadly at the princess' request. "Of course, princess."

As Elizabeta's father walked out of the library to complete his tasks, Sophie noticed Antonio standing in the doorway, looking at her will an unusual frown on his face. The princess decided that she wouldn't address him unless he had something to say, so she returned her attention to the map in front of her.

"Princess," Sophie heard him tenderly call out as he stepped into the library.

"What news do you have, Sir Antonio?" The blonde asked before turning to face the young man.

He stopped a few feet away from the princess, studying her face as his distress became more evident before he spoke. "Princess, why don't you take a break from this?"

Sophie's lack of sleep prevented her from being able to hide her irritation as she narrowed her eyes and hissed, "You know that I can't do that."

"Why not?" He asked exasperatedly.

"Why not? Why not?!" The princess repeated as her voice involuntarily began to rise. "I'll tell you why not! I have a responsibility to this entire kingdom and everything has been falling into chaos since last week. Crime rates have been rising in the villages near the capital, crops are freezing, we lost one of the kingdom's bridges, and I have to fix everything somehow while keeping the people calm!"

"Look at yourself!" Antonio retorted, worry and frustration clear in his voice as he took a step closer. "You're stressed and you haven't slept for days. If you keep this up, you won't be able to make the best decisions for the kingdom."

Sophie's eyes widened in surprise at his words. As she opened her mouth to respond, Sophie found no appropriate words. Instead, the princess exhaled sharply and closed her eyes as her head turned down toward her feet.

"Sophie, please." Antonio softly addressed the princess again as he carefully held onto her shoulders. "Toris said that your parents will be able to move again tomorrow; you don't have to do this anymore."

The princess looked up, locking onto his eyes as she held back tears from her stress. Even if she didn't have to now, Sophie would have to rule this kingdom eventually. Still, the princess did not vocalize her thoughts.

Antonio let go of the blonde's shoulders as he continued. "Please, Sophie, go to sleep. I can't bear to see you like this anymore. As the Head Knight of the castle, I promise that I will keep everyone safe, so, please, sleep."

"Okay," she whispered, after a moment of contemplation.

Antonio smiled softly at the princess as he escorted her to her room, leaving after the princess closed the door.

Given that she was so exhausted, Sophie didn't even bother to change into pajamas. She just walked over to her bed, got in between the covers, and fell asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.


	11. Timelords and Jedi and Elves Oh My!

"Dude, I'm so freaking excited! Thanks for bringing us, Artie!"

Arthur rolled his eyes at his more boisterous cousin as they waited in line for admission to New York Comic Con. He had told Alfred to stop calling him that multiple times, but the teen never listened to him. Normally he would threaten to leave, but he decided that it would be much easier to entertain the two brothers here than back on campus, so Arthur decided to ignore it for now.

The young British man had never been interested in anything at Comic Con, to him it was just an event that would be filled with geeks and nerds, some costumed and others buying strange, fandom-related merchandise. Armed with this knowledge, Arthur decided that it would be safe to bring the Kirkland family spell book along to browse through while he babysat his cousins. No one would notice a book with strange runes when you had people running around with lightsabers and and sonic screwdrivers.

After an hour of waiting on line, Arthur, Alfred, and Mathew were lucky enough to be able to purchase tickets at the door. Once inside the convention center, the scene was a spectacle of costumed con-goers and colorful signs directing people to different events.

Alfred grabbed his twin's arm and began racing toward the sign that read "Dealer's Room." Arthur chased after the two of them in frustration, running past multiple versions of the Doctor and his enemies from BBC's _Doctor Who_. Once inside the Dealer's Room, the two boys stopped and began to slowly browse the tables.

While still keeping an eye on his cousins' locations, Arthur decided to pull out his spell book so he could see what other secrets it held. He had been so busy working on his thesis over the past month that he hadn't had the downtime to study the spell book as thoroughly as he would have liked. Arthur had been reading the book for several minutes before he noticed a man who appeared slightly older than him approach him. The man was clad in a blond wig, pointed ear pieces, and a foreign-looking outfit. Arthur recognized the portrayed character as Legolas from _Lord of the Rings_.

"I see that you are a fan of Tolkien," said Legolas with a smirk. "Well, I just wanted to humbly let you know that your runes are way off, poser."

Arthur paused for a moment, contemplating whether this fool was talking about his spell book or not. Then he looked up and asked, "Pardon me?"

The man let his smug grin grow as he explained his reasoning. "It's clear that you tried to write Dwarf runes on your little handbook, and you completely butchered it. Only a _real fan_ could possibly pick up on your mistakes."

"Right," Arthur said sarcastically as he closed the book, getting ready to move away.

Just then, another young man with bottle-cap glasses and a stack of books in his arms marched up to Arthur. He scrutinized the book before turning to Legolas and sneered, "You don't know what you are talking about. These are clearly closer to the original Norwegian runes that Tolkien based the Dwarf runes off."

Legolas turned to the newcomer with a scowl on his face, "Uh, no it isn't, you moron. Why would anyone want to do something so stupid?"

"Well, maybe he's a fan of Norse Mythology, like I am."

"Puh-lease, mythology is so lame."

"It has more history than your stupid books!"

"Take that back, you blasphemist!"

"That isn't even a word!"

Arthur took the chance to sneak away from the arguing con-goers and move closer to his roaming cousins. He huffed irritably before sticking his nose back in his book. This time, he would be more careful about the types of fans that seemed to be surrounding him.


	12. In the Dark of the Night

A loud creak sounded off in Sophie's room, waking her up. The princess opened her still-tired eyes to find that her room was shrouded in the darkness of nighttime. Despite Sophie's grogginess, she sat up in bed and squinted toward the door.

"Mom?"

No answer.

Sophie was sure that she had heard something, and the silence only made her suspicious. The princess raised her hand and collected some of her aura around it to provide a weak light source. The edges of the furniture reflected the faint purple light as the blonde scanned the room. The windows were closed and her desk appeared untouched. As her gaze neared the door, it landed on a figure that didn't seem familiar. The princess bent her knees while she stared at the foreign object, intending to get up and inspect it.

The object thrust itself forward, launching glowing, gray aura at Sophie. Without time to think, she pushed herself off the bed, landing in a crouch. The blast crushed her bed. As the splintered wood pelted Sophie's body, she swiped her arm from side to side, blindly sending slashes of aura to the figure near the door. Sophie's aura briefly lit the room, allowing her to identify her attacker as a masked woman just before she dissolved into the shadows.

Sophie's eyes widened at the sight of the rare skill. A cold sweat dripped down her neck and she could feel her heart pounding. After a moment of hesitation, the princess stood and began to approach the spot where her attacker once stood.

The masked woman appeared next to Sophie and lunged at her neck. Sophie raised her arms between herself and her attacker, trying to create an aura wall. The assailant was too fast, and she wrapped her cold hands around Sophie's neck. The pressure on the back of her neck cut off her magic as the masked woman pushed Sophie onto the floor with a loud thud.

The attacker sat on Sophie's stomach as she leaned forward and tightened her grip. Sophie pried at her attacker's hands, but they didn't budge. She tried to inhale but her airway was too constricted. Sophie's lungs began to burn and her head began to throb from the lack of oxygen. She channeled all of her remaining strength into trying to pull the attacker's hands off her neck.

Light flooded the room as the royal hairdresser opened the door.

"Fi, you're, like, being too—" Feliks cut himself off and dropped his lantern at the sight.

The attacker glared at him as she disappeared into the shadows again. Sophie gasped for air to fill her burning lungs and rolled onto her side, as she coughed. The princess faced Feliks with wide eyes as she hoarsely cried out to him.

"Feliks, get help!"

The masked woman appeared between the two of them and Feliks froze in fear. She blasted him with her gray aura, launching him into the hallway where he slammed into a wall. Feliks' limp body collapsed to the group in a heap as Sophie desperately tried to stand up. The attacker whipped around and blasted the princess with her aura before she could move. Sophie flew across the room, crashing into her desk on the other side.

The blonde haphazardly pushed her aching body away from the desk. The attacker appeared next to her and grabbed the back of Sophie's neck and her arm. The masked woman twisted Sophie's arm behind her back and slammed her into the desk again, firmly holding the princess in place.

Sophie felt the attacker's aura force her hand shut around a smooth stone as the attacker began speaking in the quick and low tone of an ancient Delian language. The princess struggled to move, but the masked woman quickly held her in place with her aura as she continued to recite an ancient spell. Sophie's skin began to feel tingly and a dim white light began to surround her. Her heart started racing as she frantically looked around and struggled to escape. The tingling spread until she could no longer feel her desk, and the white light got brighter and brighter until nearly blinded her.

Sophie squeezed her eyes shut and braced herself as a burning sensation jolted through her body. The princess cried out in agony as the sensation reached its peak. Seconds later, she fell through where her desk should have been. The pain subdued and the white light disappeared completely.

When Sophie opened her eyes, she found herself in a bright hallway. The princess pushed herself into a sitting position, wincing at the pain in her ribs along the way. As she looked around, the blonde found strange, bright objects imbedded in the ceiling. The walls were painted a strange cream color and the floor was made of an odd collection of tiles. Down the hallway, she could hear a distant roar of voices.

"Where am I?"


End file.
